This article explains the difference between Amazon KDP and KDP Select, what KDP Select is and how to create a Kindle Countdown Deal.

What is Amazon KDP vs. KDP Select?

KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing. If you are an author and want to self-publish, you can use Amazon's KDP, or Kindle Direct Publishing, to upload and setup your book title, including both ebooks and paperbacks. Previously, there was another service called Createspace, but as of late 2018, Createspace is no more. When using Amazon KDP for your ebooks, you you can sell your ebooks in the Amazon Kindle bookstore as well as other retailers.

Once you have decided to use Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing for your ebook, you also have the option of enrolling in KDP Select. KDP Select is an optional service just for ebooks. If you choose to enroll in KDP, you can setup a free promotion for your book, which allows you to sell your book for free, for up to 5 days. You can also setup a countdown deal, which allows you to sell your book at a lower starting price on a particular date, and gradually returning to the retail price. For example, let's say your ebook is priced at $4.99. You could start a promotion on Monday 12 A.M. your time with a starting price of $1.99, and then set three price increments to run 24 hours each; your book price would return to the full retail price on the last day. Or another example would be a special day (like Black Friday, the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday when major sales are running) when you may just want to sell your book at 40% off for just one day. In this case, you can setup a short countdown deal of one day with a starting price of $2.99 for 24 hours. The next day, the price of your book would return to $4.99.

There are some pros and cons of using KDP Select. The main con is that if you are enrolled in KDP Select, you are restricted for 90 days to sell exclusively in the Kindle Store. Now let's review some pro's. By enrolling in KDP Select, your book will also be included in Kindle Unlimited (KU) and the Kindle Owners' Lending Library (KOLL), which can also earn you royalites. You can earn a share of the KDP Select Global Fund based on how pages of your book KU or KOLL customers read.

If you are enrolled in KDP Select, you are restricted for 90 days to sell exclusively to the Kindle Store. However, your book will also be included in Kindle Unlimited (KU) and the Kindle Owners' Lending Library (KOLL), which can also earn you royalites. You can earn a share of the KDP Select Global Fund based on how pages of your book KU or KOLL customers read.

How to Setup a Countdown Deal on KDP Select

This assumes you already have your ebook setup on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, and it has been live with no price changes for 30 days.

Note: If you need help setting up your book for the first time, I'll be writing a separate article (or two) on how to setup a book on Amazon KDP for the first time, so be sure to follow me so you can be notified on new articles. Feel free to contact me if you have specific questions, or post your questions in the Comments section at the end of this article.

Step 1:

After logging in to KDP (via kdp.amazon.com), click "Bookshelf" from the top menu bar.

Kindle Direct Publishing Bookshelf | Source

Step 2:

Scroll down to your book title. In the example below, I have both a Kindle eBook and Paperback listing for my book. For the Kindle eBook title, click on the ellipsis button ("...") under the KINDLE EBOOK ACTIONS menu.

Kindle Direct Publishing KINDLE EBOOK ACTIONS menu | Source

Step 3:

Click "KDP Select".

Kindle Direct Publishing - KDP Select | Source

Step 4:

The first time you enroll, you will need to click "Enroll in KDP Select". Thereafter, when you return to KDP Select, it will display the current enrollment information. You will see the start and end dates of your current enrollment period. You can choose to automatically renew after the first enrollment period by checking the checkbox to auto renew. If you don't wish to auto-renew, make sure the box is unchecked. Click "Save".

Kindle Direct Publishing - KDP Select Enrollment | Source

Step 5:

On the next screen, under Run a Price Promotion, first, make sure the radio button for "Kindle Countdown Deal" is selected. Then click "Create a new Kindle Countdown Deal" button.

KDP Select Run a Price Promotion | Source

Step 6:

The Create a new Kindle Countdown Deal screen displays. This is where you will setup your countdown deal options.

First, select your Marketplace. Depending on your location, your options may vary. In the example below, it defaulted to Amazon.com and offered an option to change it to Amazon.co.uk. I recommend setting it up in your default Marketplace. Then you can repeat this step for the alternate Marketplace(s).

Next, choose when the promotion will start and end. In the example below, I setup a one day, 24 hour countdown deal for a sales event. So I selected 12 AM for the start date and then 12 AM for the following day. You can setup a countdown deal for up to 7 days.

Next, choose the number of increments for this promotion. I selected one because I only need one lower price for one day. If you need help, you can click "What's this" under the field.

Next, select the starting price. If you need help, you can click "What's this" under the field.

Click "Continue" to proceed to the next step.

Kindle Countdown Deal Options | Source

Step 7:

Review all promotion schedule information. If you need to make any changes, return to step 6 above and apply edits. When everything looks good, click "Add Promotion".

KDP Select - Review Promotion Schedule | Source

Step 8:

Wait while it saves your promotion...this should only take a few moments.

KDP Select Saving Promotion | Source

Step 9:

Your promotion is now setup and saved. A summary of your book promotion will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. If you need to make changes, you can click Edit or Delete on the far right. You'll almost done!

Kindle Countdown Deal Book Promotion Summary | Source

Step 10:

To take full advantage of this book promotion in all available marketplaces, repeat the steps for any other Marketplace(s) available for your location. In my case, I had one additional Marketplace option for amazon.co.uk. Just click "Create a new Kindle Countdown Deal" button again. And hopefully you took my advice to take a screenshot at the end of step 6 (if so, you can refer to your screenshot to repeat the same options for your promotion). The only change is to select the alternative marketplace as shown in the example below. Follow-through with all remaining steps in the same manner.

Kindle Countdown Deal - Repeat for Alternate Marketplace | Source

Book Promotion Announcement - Example Ad

There's one more very important to do item...prior to your countdown deal (either a month, a week or a day before...your choice), be a squeaky wheel and tell the world about your promotion. For example, one thing you can do is consider joining a bunch of Facebook author or book promotion groups to post your announcement. Be sure to read and follow the group rules, as some groups only let you post promotions on certain days of the week, and some may not allow promotional posts. Use other social media and tell everyone and anyone about your book deal.

Here's an example of a post I'm using for my one day "Black Friday" book sale:

Kindle Countdown Deal Book Promotion Ad - Example | Source

KDP Select Poll

Have your tried KDP Select, and if so, did you find it helpful when promoting your books?

Final Thoughts

If you are just starting out as an author and self-publisher, KDP Select may be a good option to consider for marketing your ebook.

I've always loved writing for as long as I could remember, but I only started writing online articles about 10 years ago, and began self-publishing books only a few years ago upon writing this article. As a indie self-publisher, I found Amazon KDP easy to use, and I decided to enroll in KDP Select and give it a try. I'm glad I did because it helped me learn a bit about book marketing and running promotions. I still have all my ebooks enrolled in KDP Select at the moment, as I have decided to run a few more countdown deal promotions while they are still in the enrollment period.

If you're not sure, the best way to learn is to give it a try. After 3 months, you can always choose not to re-enroll. Just remember to uncheck the auto renew box before the enrollment period ends.

Another thing you can try in KDP Select is the Free Book Promotion as well to offer your book for free for 1 day or several days. This is another great way to promote your book especially at book launch.

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.

Questions & Answers

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sending

AUTHOR

Amelia Griggs

9 months agofrom U.S.

Happy to share and glad you found it helpful, Joyette! Thanks for stopping by.

:-)

Joyette Fabien

9 months agofrom Dominica

Very helpful article. Great sharing!

AUTHOR

Amelia Griggs

9 months agofrom U.S.

I’m glad you found it helpful, Ellison. I self-published 3 books so far on Amazon, in different formats, and I plan on writing more articles to help others. With a little elbow grease and some research, I would say it’s well worth it. I’m learning more each day and look forward to sharing more about my writing, self-publishing and marketing ventures.

Thanks for your comment and feedback!

Ellison Hartley

9 months agofrom Maryland, USA

This is so interesting, writing an ebook to sell on Amazon is definitely something that I would like to try at some point. Your article was really helpful.

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